Lyra Martin Culture 08.19.2022 21:Aug PM EDT

HBO Max Has Removed 200 Episodes of ‘Sesame Street’

The number of "Sesame Street" episodes on the website decreased to 456 due to HBO Max removing 200 shows.

'Sesame Street' Episodes Dropped to 456 in HBO Max

According to Variety, cited by Engadget, roughly 200 episodes of "Sesame Street" have been taken from HBO Max, which may be saddening for children and parents. The number of its episodes available on the site has decreased from around 650 to 456 due to the lost episodes, many of which are from the program's first few seasons.

Seasons 39 to 52 and a handful from the first, fifth, and seventh are still available. The television network has an exclusive deal to air new series before PBS. HBO Max will be the only place to watch new "Sesame Street" episodes through 2025.

HBO and the show have a long-standing partnership. "Sesame Street" made its HBO premiere in 2016, and Warner Media (now Warner Bros. Discovery) and HBO struck a five-year deal in 2019 to stream new episodes exclusively.

According to Chris Willard, a spokesman for HBO Max, "Sesame Streets" is the highlight of their preschool programming. Their dedication to bringing the series into families' homes is demonstrated by the next season of "Sesame Street" and the 400 episodes of previous and vintage seasons that are still available on Cartoonito on HBO Max.

In addition to removing tens of other programs, including 20 original series (such as animated programs), the platform withdrew the "Sesame Street" episodes within the same week. Even though it frequently happens for titles to come and go from streaming platforms, it occurs much less often for exclusives. According to Engadget, such conduct is now commonplace at HBO Max.

Warner Bros. Discovery Has Laid Off Some Staff

Warner Bros. Discovery has laid off some workers, but not as many as had been expected, after speculations that the firm will announce a significant restructure for HBO Max.

Casey Bloys, the chief content officer for HBO and HBO Max, is being replaced by Warner Bros. Discovery, according to Variety, which was reported by The Verge. This will result in the layoff of 70 workers, or around 14%, of the workforce.

HBO Max subscribers have cause to fear harsher cutbacks when Warner Bros. Discovery discreetly deleted three HBO Max-only movies off the channel and shelved "Batgirl" earlier this month (reportedly as a tax write-off). However, the corporation is adjusting before Warner Bros. Discovery combines HBO Max and Discovery Plus into one package next summer.

In a document provided to The Verge by Warner Bros. Discovery, Bloys said that when Discovery content joins HBO Max for a combined platform, they must dissolve or reorganize the following teams, none of which represent the contributions of the people affected. The reality, casting, and programming acquisitions made by HBO Max are impacted.

The restructuring was anticipated after AT&T's Warner Media and Discovery, Inc.'s official merger in April. The agreement said AT&T would get $43 billion in debt and cash. Despite having $53 billion in debt right now, the company aims to cut costs to save $3 billion by 2023.

In big IT mergers, layoffs are expected to minimize duplicate employment. However, when news of these layoffs began to circulate a few weeks ago, HBO Max fans were unhappy because they thought that episodes like "Hacks," "Our Flag Means Death," or "The Flight Attendant," which had already been written, may be canceled.